Justus a



(No Model.) J. A. T'RAUT.

- SPIRIT} LEVEL.

No. 453,452. Patented June 2, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

" JUSTU S A. TRAUT, OF NEWV BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE STANLEY RULE AND LEVEL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPIRIT-LEVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,452, dated J une 2, 1891.

. Application filed a y 28. 189 1. $erial No. 379,422. (No model.)

Be it known that I, JUsTUs A. TRAUT, a citizen'of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Builders Levels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in builders levels; and the objects of my improvements are to provide convenient means for handling the article, to improve its appearance, and to make the stock less liable to warp out of shape.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my level. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on line 00 0c of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same in a slightly-different design.

A designates the wooden stock, which in the main is of the ordinary form and having any ordinary vial-case and frame in one of its longest sides, as at a, and the transverse vial or bulb case for use in upright work, as at b. In the longitudinal middle of the stock A, upon each side,Iform a finger-groove l, the same being only of a sufiicient width to readily admit the thumb and fingers and far enough from the upper side to leave a broad surface 5 between said upper edge and the fingergroove. In all levels of this class the hole around the transverse level I) is countersunk, as shown. In cutting the finger-grooves in the stock after this countersunk hole for the transverse level is formed the cutter for cutting the groove is brought into action at that end of the groove which is farthest from the hole for the transverse level, and the cutting action of the cutter is continued by a relative movement of the cutter and stock until the cutter runs out at said hole, thereby preventing the wood from being broken or splintered at the end of the groove, as it would be likely to if the cutting action of the cutter were stopped when the front of the cutter was moving away from the surface of the stock in a solid portion thereof. I

In Fig. 1 I have shown the finger-groove only upon one side of the transverse level I); but it may, if desired, be extended upon both sides thereof and nearer to the ends of the stock than shown in Fig. l--as, for instance, in the manner illustratedin Fig. 3. In forming this groove it is best, after the cutter runs out at the hole for the transverse level, to turn the stock around and start the cutting of the remainder of the groove from the opposite end, so that in like manner the cutter may run out at the hole for said transverse level when cutting this end of the groove.

While I have shown and prefer always to form a finger-groove upon both sides of the stock, it is evident that a finger-groove upon one side only will attain many of the advantages of my invention and be within the spirit thereof, although it would not attain those advantages to the same extent or degree that is attained when the stock is grooved upon both sides.

By my improvements I furnish a convenient means of grasping the level by a groove just Wide enough to comfortably admit ones thumb and fingers and to leave a plain, broad, and substantial portion between the groove and top of the stock to conveniently fill the hand without hurting the fingers or placing them in a cramped position. The fingergroove gives the stock an attractive and ornamental appearance, and by making a thin portion along the middle of the stock it is believed that the wooden stock of the level is less liable to be affected by weather and time.

I am aware that a prior patent shows and describes a small short spirit-level of the class usually used by mechanics to be operated in conjunction with a common mechanics square, which has sight-slots, one at the top edge above the level-bulb for reading when in its normal position and the other extending through from side to side a little below the plane of said bulb for reading when the level is inverted, and the same is hereby disclaimed.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein-described level, consisting of the stock A, with a longitudinal finger-groove through the solid middle portion of the sides and at a distance sufficiently far from the top to form abroad and substantial,grasping-sursubstantially as described, and for the purface, the body of said stock formingthe botpose specified. tom of said groove, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The herein-described level, havin g a 1011- Witnesses: gitudinal finger-groove on its side, which runs 7 H. S. WALTER, into the holesurounding the transverse'leve], GHAS. B. STANLEY.

JUS'IUS A. TRAUT. 

